Learn To Fly  A District 2 tribute story
by keeponrockin'inthefreeworld
Summary: I ground my teeth at his nonchalant ignorance, and the way he could make me feel inferior. Boys loved that, putting girls down to make themselves seem like the superior sex. It was just what they did. Cato/Clove re-telling of the 74th Hunger Games.
1. Reaping Day

**Learn To Fly - A District 2 tribute story**

'_Run and tell all of the angels, this could take all night. Think I need a devil to help me get things right_.' - Foo Fighters

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><p>I imagined how I would shine with pride after I volunteered. I had to be the chosen career, I was ready.<p>

I was imagining standing upon that stage, imagining the same, two weeks later as I victor. I walked to the readings with my older sister. They weren't a cause for sadness here. For ages, only careers participated.

"Clove, are you volunteering?" A girl, eighteen pushed me as hard as she could against a nearby building. I knew her from the academy where we trained together. She had a particular hatred for me, and my talents with knives.

"What's it to you?" I hissed back at her. If she hadn't been flanked by three other females twice my size, odds would have been drastically shifted. As it is, I didn't want to get blood on my yellow dress.

"Listen rat." She pulled my hair back violently and stared hard into my eyes. "You know how this thing works, they pick a random volunteer. If you even think about lowering my chances on my last year. Well you better hope that one of us gets picked, because if we both don't. I'll kill you."

She didn't scare me. This girl was pathetic, nothing but a phony bitch. She had the maturity level of a twelve year old boy. Her and her friends spent less time training than they spent gossiping. She also seemed to get around with said boys too.

"Ok." I said, pushing her off of me. I smiled and turned on my heel, making my way to where the draw would be made.

Clove, victor at age fifteen.

It sounded wonderful on my lips as I strode toward my section.

Clove, district 2.

I imagined introducing myself menacingly to the other careers in the games. How the lower district tributes would cry as I held my knives to their throats.

I didn't particularly get joy from killing anyone, and I had never done it in the past. But the games were a completely different area. If someone were to come at me, in an attempt to take my life. Well, let's just say they wouldn't get far. And eternal glory? Well obviously it was worth it.

I watched the video we watched every year, the video I nearly fell asleep watching last year. Every reaping before this was a bore. Especially last year, when I was fourteen and wasn't the chosen volunteer.

I counted the female volunteers in my head as they fished the female name out of the bowl, my hand at the ready. One possible career my age, seven others older and one younger. All of their hands would shoot up along with mine.

Deborann Goolding.

A little girl who looked no more than twelve burst into tears, but instead of turning like everyone else I shot my hand into the air.

"I volunteer as tribute!" I shouted. It was polite to wait for them to ask for a tribute, but like the past few years, no one waited.

I hadn't been focusing on the saddened girl, or the fact that I was the only volunteer who had reacted so quickly. When the peace keepers brought me onto the stage. My heart pumped in my chest, as I grinned out onto the audience.

"Clove Mentis." I said into the microphone that was pushed to my lips.

I breathed in the warm air, as another tribute was chosen, and the boys volunteered.

A brawny and handsome older boy whose name I knew by heart joined me. I was half surprised to be joined by him in particular. He was one who all the girls at the career training academy had been head over heels for. It seemed impractical to me, having a crush on someone who was to put their life on the line.

But he was attractive, and I felt smaller standing next to him. I knew I wasn't pretty, and that was part of why I spent so much more time training. To compensate.

I took the few moments I had while standing there to seriously reflect on the fact that I was either going to kill the boy to my left, or vice versa.

It didn't last long, the moment after I was being taken to a special room and my parents were let in.

They weren't upset, or even worried about me. If they were they didn't show it. My father looked me in the eye and told me.

"You're my only child, I want a winner."

And I was a winner, but after seeing Cato I started to question my confidence. I made the immediate decision to stop thinking cockily for my own good. Alliances and cleverness was how I was going to win this thing.

And as I boarded the train along side him, I only wondered if everything I'd heard about the handsome boy was true. Particularly that he could snap a neck with his bare hands.

I felt like a fool for not feeling frightened. I felt like a monster, for feeling jealous of this rumored skill.

...

I wasted no time once we boarded the train.

"Clove." I offered Cato my hand.

He shook it, almost cracking a smile. "Cato."

"We trained at the same school." I said, sitting down on a fine looking leather couch.

He nodded. "Didn't know that."

Yes he did, there were no more than 40 kids at that training academy, not all of them brave enough to volunteer. Some just went to make their parents happy, or because it gave them a higher social status.

I ground my teeth at his nonchalant ignorance, and the way he could make me feel inferior. Boys loved that, putting girls down to make themselves seem like the superior sex. It was just what they did.

Enobaria sat us down the minute we boarded the train, while Brutus was nowhere to be found. I sat in on a leather couch beside Cato. He slouched coolly, his legs spread. It was more than obvious he was the opposite of nervous. I had a bit of a gnawing in my stomach even since my fathers words with me.

The short blue dress I was wearing was a little itchy and I wondered when I could get into something more comfortable.

"Careers." She said as if she was surprised. District two had careers every year.

I looked over to Cato but his where were locked on the older woman. I suddenly felt like a child stuck in an adult conversation.

"I beg your pardon?" My words were polite but my tone wasn't quite there.

She turned on me. "I want you two to know that you're just two more tributes. You're careers, but to win you need to think like you're from a lower district. You need to believe you're fighting for your life just like everyone else."

I took in her words. And there was reason inside them.

Enobaria continued with explaining how she wanted us to act for he cameras, and asking us about our strengths and weaknesses.

"I was the best with knives." I told her. "Where I trained."

There were four training academy's in districts two, they were all quite similar.

"You'll have to be." Cato said. "People aren't going I want to sponsor a 14 year old at impulse."

My cheeks burned. "I'm fifteen."

He raised an eyebrow. "You sure about that?"

I balled my fist, prepared to dive for the first hard metal object I could find.

"Stop arguing." Enobaria said. "Save it for the arena."

As she walked away I shot Cato what I tried to make look like an intimidating glare.

"Relax kid." He said, smiling at me. "We're on the same side."

"For now." I told him.

He smirked, widening his eyes accordingly. "For now."

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><p><strong>Leave a review if you want more, i was inspired by the lack of CatoClove in the movie. And I ship them hard haha soo.**

**Also I'm aware I changed her age.  
><strong>

**thanks for reading.**


	2. looking to the sky

**Learn to Fly: Chapter Two**

"_Hook me up a new revolution, cause this one is a lie. Sat around laughing, and watch the last one die._" **- Foo Fighters**

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><p>The air in the capitol, not that I had gotten the chance to breathe much of it, was not like home. It had a harder to breathe sort of thickness, and an almost suffocating perfume scent. My head was pointed upwards, gazing at the tops of tall buildings the entire short outdoor walk. I was surprised I didn't bump into anyone.<p>

"You'll get used to it." Enobaria pushed me along, and into the building we'd be staying in. "We stay on the lowest tribute floor, but I've heard it's really the nicest room."

The elevator had at least twenty floor buttons. Some of them were numbered, but most had symbols or were simply solid neutral colours.

The elevator opened straight into our room, a huge place with colorurful furniture. It reminded me of some of the buildings the richer families in district 1 lived in. I wondered what the lower districts must be thinking right now. They were probably stuffing their faces, so they could look healthier for the interviews. It didn't matter though, unless they turned out to be extremely good looking, doubtful, they had no chance. That was what the Hunger Games were about though, the lower districts suffering more than the higher ones. It reminded everyone we were higher on the food chain than they were.

"Alright, busy day tomorrow." Enobaria said, "Go do what you want."

She didn't mean go waste your time, she meant go and strategize, or plan. Enobaria was a hard kind of woman, and she knew we were careers. Training and strategizing was in our blood.

I went to my room, and though I had originally planned on watching the reapings from the other districts, the shower looked all too inviting. So I shrugged off my uncomfortable dress and turned the tap on. There was more than one, and they were all gushing out a different temperature or scent. When I finally got a good temperature and the hot water was running down my back I felt ten times better.

Showering were great, good for thinking. Except what I had to think about was nerve wrecking. My fathers always disappointed eyes, the way he hadn't said goodbye. If I didn't win, well it was a good thing the other option was death.

I dried off and put on some clothes that were in one of the dresser drawers. Picking a blue shirt and tight black pants of a thick material that was like denim, but more stretchy.  
>As I tied up my long hair with a wide elastic, someone knocked on my door.<p>

"Cato." I said, my eyes hard. I had to work extra hard not to seem wear, especially as one of the younger career tributes.

"I'm watching the reapings." He said, leaning against my doorway. He crossed his arms over his chest. "I think it would be good if you joined me."

I wasn't sure if I should smile, or scowl, or what, so I nodded. "Okay."

I followed him down the hall, into a smaller room with a couch and television. He sat down on one end, slouching and I on the other, hugging my legs to my chest.

He clicked a remote button and the screen flickered to life.

We watched our reapings first, and I saw myself climb onto the stage, grinning like an idiot. Then he joined me, lighting up the stage a little more, and the only thing striking about me at that point was my short blue dress.

Then they cut to district two, another two careers. But the girl, glimmer, was so beautiful. I chewed on the inside of my lip. I silently reminded myself that being pretty would get her sponsors, not win her the games.

They cut to three, and two think pale kids stood on the stage.

"Frightening." Cato muttered, and I laughed a little.

District four was nothing special either. Though getting to see Finnick Odair wasn't the worst experience in the world. I let out an involuntary sigh.

Cato looked at me, snorting. "Girls."

"Shut up." I scowled.

He kept him eyes locked o the screen.

District seven looked normal, but knowing their mentor you could expect something a little different from Seven each year. Joanna Mason was smart, though so was Enobaria.

The next Tribute to jump out at me was from 11.

"He's huge." I said, shuddering at the sight of the six foot tall, olive skinned boy.

"He's from eleven, don't worry about it. We'll have fun with him."

I wasn't big on underestimating people, it just led to them having the upper hand. But the careers almost always made an alliance, so I supposed we would just finish off all the tributes that seemed threatening together.

District twelve though, a girl volunteered for her sister.

"Sappy." Cato said, folding his hand together. "Sponsors will love that."

It made me a little angry, knowing she would have an upper hand, and she was from _Twelve_. I ground me teeth together, wanting to sink a knife into something living.

"Don't worry, Clove." He said my name for the first time. "She's mine."

He said it possessively, and I didn't doubt he'd be the one to kill her.

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><p><strong>this is really short, but they'll get longer once the games and training day start. review if you want more?<br>**


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